While Arsenal fans might otherwise be delighted to hear the club had made two permanent signings and agreed two further contract extensions in a single day, reaction to the news about David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares and Dani Ceballos has been mixed.
On Wednesday morning, the club confirmed that Luiz has agreed a one-year contract extension and that Ceballos’ loan from Real Madrid has been prolonged until the end of the season. Mari and Soares, meanwhile, have signed long-term deals.
According to Arsenal transfer oracle David Ornstein, both Mari and Soares have been handed four-year contracts. Soares’ deal seems especially bemusing given that he will turn 29 in August and that, so far, he has failed to make a single appearance owing to injury.
Soares is a client of Kia Joorabchian, who also represents Luiz and technical director Edu. Arsenal’s recruitment strategy will be under intense scrutiny going forwards, with growing questions about the influence of agents in shaping the team.
Luiz’s individual cachet is at an all-time low with Arsenal fans after his inept performance against Manchester City last week. Not the most reliable player at the best of times, he is now 33 and his form has markedly declined this season.
Nonetheless, in light of the new deals, Edu told the Arsenal website: “I am really happy that we will have these players in our squad for the future.
“They have been part of the long-term technical plan Mikel [Arteta] and I have developed. They bring the right balance to our squad.”
That assessment will ring hollow with many Arsenal fans. Here’s how each of the new deals rates, beyond mere convenience.
David Luiz
If the rationale for tying down underperforming players for next season is that Arsenal have limited resources owing to the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, then an extension for Luiz still makes little sense.
According to The Athletic, his previous salary package was worth £10m a year. While a reduced basic wage was widely mooted as a condition for a contract extension, his wages will still reflect the fact that he is a household name globally.
While his showing at the Etihad last week was an extreme manifestation of his struggles this season, he has given away goals on a regular basis and contributed to Arsenal’s chaotic defensive organisation.
William Saliba is finally incoming this summer and some have suggested that he will need an experienced partner at centre-back to help him to bed in at the Emirates. Arteta has also talked up Luiz as a character and he is, by all accounts, an influential figure in the dressing room.
That said, what exactly Saliba can learn from Luiz when it comes to the art of defending is unclear. Sokratis and Mari are both experienced centre-backs and, with Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Zech Medley as potential competition, it’s hard to justify a costly contract extension for a man who is never far away from defensive calamity.
Rating: 2/10
Pablo Mari
Of all the deals announced on Wednesday morning, a permanent move for Mari might be the most encouraging.
Still only 26, he should be entering the prime of his career and his first few performances have been quietly competent (even if he benefits from comparisons with Luiz).
Now ruled out for up to three months with an ankle injury, however, the jury is still out on his ability to perform consistently.
Arsenal fans will have to hope that he and Saliba can form a decent relationship in the centre of defence next term.
Rating: 6/10
Cedric Soares
Having rocked up on loan in January with a knee injury and proceeded to make zero appearances during Arsenal’s increasingly shambolic run-in, Soares makes Kim Kallstrom look like Dennis Bergkamp. While low-cost reinforcements are all well and good, it helps when they are actually able to play.
Naturally, the Arsenal hierarchy have responded by tying him to the club until 2024. While he may still come good, it’s extremely difficult to see the sporting rationale behind offering Soares a four-year deal.
Rating: 2/10
Dani Ceballos
Given that the club are clearly desperate for squad depth, extending Ceballos’ loan until the end of the current campaign seems prudent.
Some might debate keeping him on given that he has struggled to make an impact for long spells this season but, with Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira both sidelined, the last thing Arteta will want is to lose another midfielder. That said, with Arsenal’s Champions League hopes all but over after their defeat to Brighton at the weekend, this might be the time for Arteta to experiment with youngsters across the midfield three.
Rating: 5/10
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